Crackdown 2 Demo available now

The public demo for Ruffian Games’ Crackdown 2 launched today, with a few interesting twists.  Besides providing both single player and 4 player co-op modes, if you’re also a Facebook user, they’ve got a tie in game called Chuck’s Ducks 2, a carnival style game that allows players to earn and activate special sticky bombs, for use in the retail game.  You can check out our hands on impression with the game last month, as well as our interview Ruffian Games creative director Billy Thomson.  In brief, Crackdown 2 is one of the most fun sandbox games I’ve had a chance to play in, and my 360 is downloading the demo as I speak.

The full Crackdown 2 demo press release is after the break, but hey, don’t take our word for it.  You should be firing up your Xbox 360 right now.

“Crackdown 2” Demo Launches Today Exclusively on Xbox LIVE Public demo offers deferred Achievements and interactive Facebook game, “Chuck’s Ducks 2”

The wait for the hotly anticipated “Crackdown 2” public demo ends now. Starting today, Microsoft and developer Ruffian Games are giving fans around the world an early chance to bring their personal brand of justice to this summer’s most explosive action title by downloading the public demo on Xbox LIVE before “Crackdown 2” launches on July 6 in North America, July 8 in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, and July 9 in Europe.

Featuring the high-flying action and entertainment that are hallmarks of the “Crackdown” franchise, the demo introduces players to some of the core tenets in “Crackdown 2,” including the single player campaign, 4-player co-op with friends and an inventive sandbox style that lets you play how you want, when you want. You’ll get a taste of power thanks to the demo’s accelerated levelling and if you’re a fan of Achievements, the ones you earn in the “Crackdown 2” demo will be counted and deferred when you purchase and play the retail game.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Log on to www.chucksducks2.com to participate in “Chuck’s Ducks 2,” an interactive Facebook game tied to “Crackdown 2” and Xbox LIVE. This carnival-inspired game allows players to earn and activate a daily supply of explosive Quackers in the retail version of “Crackdown 2” and unlock an extra difficulty level in the “Crackdown 2” demo. Quackers are exploding sticky bombs in the form of rubber ducks that players will need to locate to use in the campaign mode in the retail version. By joining in on the Facebook experience, fans are granted exclusive access to the Quackers they’ve earned for use in the multiplayer mode when the game launches in July.

Fans around the world can pre-order “Crackdown 2” today at participating retailers to receive exclusive, in-game bonus armor in four new shades: Gold, Gun Metal, Black and Green.

“Crackdown 2” continues the award-winning gameplay of its predecessor with new enemies (the Cell and the Freaks) that stand in the way of the Agency’s goal to bring Pacific City back under control. After the events in the first “Crackdown,” a dangerous virus was released and those who were infected – the Freaks – began ravaging the city. A civilian resistance, called the Cell, also formed to take the fight into their own hands by mounting offences against the Agency. Players return as Agents in “Crackdown 2” to once again bring peace to Pacific City – by any means possible in one of the most explosive, interactive worlds for gamers to explore and experiment with.